


Ten Times To Live; Ten Times To Die

by GinnyBadWolf



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Basically a collection of one-shots but they're all kind of connected, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Overwatch - Freeform, Post-Fall of Overwatch, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Referenced Sex, SEP, Takes place over a large span of time from the SEP to after the fall of Overwatch, it's sort of like a 5+1 but not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-10-27 21:56:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10817538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyBadWolf/pseuds/GinnyBadWolf
Summary: Ten moments Jack and Gabe say "I love you" for the first time. Takes place throughout their lifetimes. All unrelated, and take place as if the others never happened (unless specified).(Will update sporadically, but I'm really excited about this story so don't expect it to take forever. Unless I'm a piece of shit - then, sorry.)





	1. The First; The Only

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So, this is a one-shot taking place somewhere around six months into the SEP program, after a really bad round of injections. This one is soft and fluffy, so your heart is spared for now. I hope you enjoy!\
> 
> By the way, the song I vibe for this chapter is called Girl Next Door by Tomppabeats. The song is like, 45 seconds or something, so I suggest putting it on repeat and then listening to it while you read this chapter. Thanks!

Gabe aggressively rubs at his arm, biting his lip. The thin bandage wrapped around the spot of injection itches like back when he got chicken pox back in the outbreak of his childhood. In barely a second, his nails rip through the gauze and a sharp stab of pain stops him in his tracks. It’s hardly noticeable among the other waves of pain and nausea, but perhaps the last thing Gabriel needs is additional pain.

Beside him, Jack seems to come to the same realization and looks up at him. Gabe nods, and they walk out of the infirmary side by side, slugging through a sudden worsening onslaught of debilitating sickness.

Their shared room is a ways down the hallway, and about halfway down Jack stumbles beside him. Gabe stops a moment, and looks to see Jack clutching his head in pain. Tears, most definitely unbidden, sting at the corners of Jack’s eyes and a tight breath whistles through his clenched teeth. “You okay?” Gabe mumbles, the sound of his voice gravelly and clearly strained.

“Yeah,” Jack exhales, and continues to move forward. Gabe engages in a violent internal debate that carries him through a few feet before one side finally wins out. He loops an arm around Jack’s shoulders and presses him closer, supporting Jack just as much as he’s supporting himself. He can see Jack turn to look at him in his peripheral vision, but chooses to keep staring down the hallway to avoid revealing something he’d rather Jack not know about. He momentarily blesses his dark skin, which is so adept at concealing blushes.

A few seconds after Jack looks away, Gabe glares to take a glimpse at him. Even in the poor lighting, Jack’s hair still burns golden like the sun. But he retains a sickly pallor that everyone at the SEP seems to have, if not worse than theirs, and his eyes are clearly bloodshot - the bags under his them reach and dip well into his cheekbones. Still, he is undeniably handsome. Gabe sends another blessing to the aforementioned dark skin, and then a curse to whatever other gene he inherited that made him so easily flustered.

They’re just about to get to the door when a particularly nasty wave of nausea hits Gabe, and he puts a hand against the wall to steady himself from the tilting world. “ _Dios mio_ ,” He grunts, and exhales as evenly as possible to avoid vomiting. “Open the door,” He chokes out to Jack, and there must be a real tone of urgency in his voice if Jack pursues as quickly as he does through his headache. The door swings open, and Gabe sprints for the bathroom.

He barely makes it before he vomits violently into the toilet, retching as the disgusting burning sensation rips through his throat. He can hear Jack approaching to come to stand behind him, just a couple feet away, and does his best to shield the view from Jack so he may be spared the extra nausea of seeing someone else’s sick. It’s to no avail, because Jack slowly draws closer and sinks down to the ground next to Gabe.

He continues to throw up everything that’s in his stomach until his eyes run with thin tears and there’s nothing left but bile, and then he’s dry heaving into the toilet. It hurts his lungs like he can’t believe, and his throat is left raw with the distinct taste of vomit still staining it. Finally, he’s done, and simply panting into a toilet. He can feel Jack hesitantly lay a hand on his back. His hand is freezing cold compared to Gabriel’s burning heat, and he leans into the touch.

Jack starts to rub circles into Gabriel’s back, and he lets out a soft groan of appreciation. Closing the lid of the toilet, Gabe starts to lean back and moves until he can put his head against the cool tile of the bathroom wall. Jack seems to understand and moves with him, settling his hand on Gabriel’s shoulder from where he sits right by his side. “You okay, Gabe?” He says quietly.

“Yeah, I’m fine. The worst is over,” He mutters, shutting his eyes. Jack hums quietly in response. A moment later, he sets his hand on Gabriel’s forehead, and Gabriel can almost feel the frown Jack makes without seeing it. He sighs and shifts, pressing his side to Jack completely.

The hand on his forehead falters slightly, and then leaves. Gabriel misses the cool presence, so he moves an arm and wraps it around Jack’s shoulder as best he can. He doesn’t miss the tensing of Jack’s muscles, and most certainly doesn’t miss the relaxing.

They sit like that for a while, sprawled on the cold bathroom floor together. It’s quiet because it’s tragic; it’s tragic because the two of them are wasting away with every batch of poison that gets injected into their bodies - ‘for the greater good’, the people say, and tuck away the corpses in the back before you get to see them, because the greater good has space for the great, but not for ones who are just good. Neither of them knows if they’re the good the poison has to weed out, or the great who’ll just barely manage to survive.

Jack sighs and wiggles a bit, leaning farther against Gabe until his back is pressed against Gabe’s chest. Gabe’s eyes snap open, and he stares forward, alarmed. Jack doesn’t seem to be aware of the effect he just had on Gabriel, and continues to rest on Gabe in his half-asleep state.

Cautiously, Gabriel tightens the arm already around Jack to rest against the fragile warmth of Jack’s chest. Jack hums quietly. After a moment, he furrows his brow and grunts, cuddling closer into Gabe. How could he forget! Jack always got headaches after injections. He had already seen the beginnings of a really bad one in the hallway, but ignored it as soon as his own sickness came to the forefront. Gabe mentally berates himself for his ignorance, and quickly reaches up over his head with his free hand to turn off the light switch so they can be in the dark.

Jack’s face is scrunched in pain, and Gabe can’t restrain himself from smoothing a thumb over Jack’s stressed temples. When Jack doesn’t react, he does it again, moving softly and carefully over the tense skin until it finally smooths out. Gabe is in a vulnerable state, so he can’t exactly blame himself for moving to lace his fingers through Jack’s golden hair. It’s soft and fine, and Gabe smiles to himself. Jack burrows himself further into Gabe’s embrace.

Jack murmurs something that Gabriel doesn’t catch. Gabe pushes back a strand of hair that had fallen into Jack’s face and says, “What did you say, _cabrón_?”

Jack moves his head and looks up at Gabriel. “Can we go to sleep?” Gabe knows for a fact it’s very, very early - 6:30 p.m. at the latest - but Jack’s voice is so quiet and tired and he could never resist the puppy eyes Jack has become so expert at sending his way. Gabe murmurs a quick ‘yes’, and then starts to stand slowly. Jack moves a little, letting him get up. Another wave of nausea roils through Gabriel, but he ignores it in favor of moving to help Jack.

He reaches a hand out, which Jack grasps and pulls himself up with. Gabriel can’t help a small shiver at the callouses on Jack’s hand which collide with his own. Jack’s hand feels nice in his own, and he neglects to let go in favor of leading Jack to his bed. It bothers him not to see Jack’s expression as this happens, but Jack doesn’t let go either, and he comforts himself with this fact.

Jack sits down heavily on his bed and Gabe lets go of his hand so he can shuck off his shoes. He turns away once Jack takes off his pants, and heads to his own bed for the night - Gabe suddenly finds the idea of sleep to be appealing as well. However, as soon as he reaches for the covers, he hears Jack’s voice from the opposite side of the room.

“Stay,” Jack calls, and Gabriel crumbles.

He steps the short length of the space between their beds in two short strides, and takes off his shoes, and after a bit of deliberation, his shirt and pants (while thanking all the gods he doesn’t believe in that he chose not to wear tight boxers today). Jack opens the covers for him, and he slides in.

Jack’s face is suddenly right there. He looks exhausted, as if he’s lived one hundred days without sleep instead of just one. Jack looks at him, vulnerable. “Hey,” he mumbles, voice rough.

“Hi,” Gabe says, unguarded.

Jack looks at him a moment longer, and his eyes are filled with some sort of emotion Gabriel can’t even try to identify. Then, he’s moved over and pressed himself against Gabe’s side, and now Gabe can feel that Jack’s skin is cold and clammy. He slides an arm under and around Jack’s back (bare? This man was certainly trying to kill him) and starts rubbing circles, like Jack had just done for him. “Cuddler, are you?” He says, hint of a smile gracing his lips in a feeble attempt at a defusing joke. Jack just nods.

Gabe shuffles down until his chin touches the top of Jack’s head, and then rests it there. Jack is enclosed in Gabe; protected, just like Gabe always wants for him. Gabriel puts his free hand in Jack’s hair. Jack instantly sighs and relaxes, tension slowly easing away. As Jack relaxes into his arms, Gabriel can feel the poisonous exhaustion and pain seeping into his muscles, and his eyelids begin to droop in a sudden attempt at sleep.

Jack has already beaten him to it, and is snoring softly against his chest. Gabe smiles, and then drifts off.

* * *

 

Gabriel jerks awake at some ungodly hour, confused and a bit shocked. Despite this, he’s careful not to disturb Jack, who he now sees is basically tangled against him. The man pressed too closely to preserve any semblance of Gabriel’s heterosexuality (an already fragile, if not entirely defeated concept).

He easily realizes the reason for waking, which is Jack shivering violently against him. He brushes a hand against Jack’s bare skin, which tells him just how cold Jack is. Gabriel pulls the blanket back up, supposing one of them must have kicked it off in their sleep. When Jack’s shivering doesn’t abate, he resorts to his final option. Gabe pulls off his black beanie, something he’s basically never been seen without, and tucks it on Jack’s head.

Satisfied, Gabriel moves his hands to press Jack closer to himself, and promptly falls back asleep.

* * *

 

Gabriel awakes slowly this time, becoming sentient in just small brushes with the morning, until he blinks the sleep from his eyes, yawning. He looks down, and sees Jack cuddled up to him. He blushes at the scene, hoping that he isn’t looking too close into things.

Gabe moves back just a little, so he can look at Jack’s face. He looks so young in sleep, so untroubled. Gabe moves to stroke a thumb over Jack’s cheekbone gently. Jack mumbles a bit in his sleep and shifts, then stills. Gabriel does it again, and admires the way Jack looks in his own beanie. The idea that Jack will wake up and probably instantly understand how Gabriel feels about him arises.

He can’t bring himself to care that much; not after the way they had slept that night, not after the way they had held each other. He’s too far gone on Jack just to go back. He even _wants_ Jack to know, now.

Jack wakes slowly as well, fluttering his eyelashes and grumbling, finally opening his eyes to see Gabe. He looks down at the hand that caresses his cheek, and then looks up hesitantly to Gabriel’s eyes. Wide baby blues meet warm chestnuts, and Jack’s cheeks are dusted with pink.

“Hi,” Jack says, voice rough with morning and entirely vulnerable.

“Hello again,” Gabe says, and smiles gently.

Jack untangles one arm and reaches up to the top of his head. “Am I wearing your beanie?”

Gabriel shrugs. “You were cold.”

Jack blinks, and then slowly turns to look at Gabriel’s hair. “I’ve never actually seen you without your beanie on.”

Gabriel raises his eyebrows. “Really?”

“You wear it more than you realize.”

Gabriel hums quietly, and then Jack moves his hand to touch a stray curl on Gabriel’s forehead. “You have the nicest curls,” Jack breathes.

Gabe blushes, hard, and realizes that Jack can probably see it at this vicinity and at this level of flushing. Jack doesn’t say anything if he does see it, and continues to explore Gabriel’s hair. Gabriel can’t take it a second longer.

Gabe sits up, and Jack looks at him, confused and clearly hurt. He props himself up a little with his hands. “Gabe?”

Gabe turns to stare him in the eyes, and then puts a hand on Jack’s chin to prop his face up. He moves in closer, and then stops when they’re only a centimeter or two apart. He swallows. “Can I -”

“Yes.”

Gabriel kisses him, gently; just a soft touch of two pairs of lips for a moment. He pulls apart, and they touch foreheads instead. Jack smiles, and opens his eyes (they were closed?). He tugs the beanie more securely over his ears. “I’ll have to wear this more often if that’s the reaction I get.”

Gabe chuckles, and cracks a bright smile. “The beanie? Nah, Jackie, it was all you. All you gotta do is… just keep being you, _cariño_.”

Jack hums, and smiles. “Yeah?”

Gabe closes his eyes. “Yeah.”

They kiss again, with more movement and for longer, and then break apart. Everything feels just right, a soft yellow that comes with new love, a yellow like sunshine and Jack’s hair, gentle and sweet and _perfect_ (even though poison courses through their veins and either one of them could drop dead today, next second, right now).

“I love you,” Gabriel murmurs, and kisses Jack again.

Jack smiles against Gabriel’s lips. “I’ve loved you since always,” Jack whispers, pulling apart for a second, and Gabriel’s world is sunlight and _Jack._

* * *

 

Their work and their life in that place is made of sickness, coming in and then receding, just as the tide in the ocean so loves to do. The only question is if they might drown among the masses of their peers doing that very thing - and, as they look towards the mountainous waves yet to break, they wonder if they two just might be able to withstand it all as a pair.


	2. The Second; The Only

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two years through SEP. Two years of sexual tension. Gabriel is a big gay peacock and Jack is a big gay mess. It ends up a lot better than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song that I vibe for this chapter: Peeping Tom by Jamie Berry. Look it up and listen before/during/after reading this! You'll love it, trust me. 
> 
> Ugh, this chapter is probably my least favorite out of all the ones I have planned, which is why it's kind of trash in the beginning and also why it took me a while. All the other ones from here on out I'm r e a l l y excited about, so they're going to end up longer and of better quality. Sorry!
> 
> This is so short omg im so sorry you had to wait for like five days for this 1,000 word mess but here you go kids

Gabriel towels off his hair, ruffling it for a few moments before tossing the towel aside. He knows that letting his hair air dry means it’ll curl like there’s no tomorrow, but what does he care? Appearance is possibly the last thing on his mind right now. 

Then Jack looks in his direction, and it moves up a notch or two on his list. Perhaps three, if he’s being honest. Maybe the top.  

You could say Gabriel is somewhat infatuated with his roommate. As long as somewhat infatuated is defined as being ‘hopelessly in love for two years without saying anything but I’m pretty sure he’s straight so I’m not going to do anything except suffer in silence for the foreseeable future, this is fine’. 

Gabriel’s been in a lot of gay pain, to say the least. 

He knows Jack’s eyes are on him, so if he stretches a little, what’s the problem? He certainly can’t see any problem with being a big gay peacock. No, no, there’s no problem with that. It’s all fine. 

He’s careful to keep his eyes trained somewhere in an entirely different direction from Jack, but he can definitely see the man in his peripheral vision. If there’s a blush appearing on Jack’s cheeks, then he can see it; it delights him when one does. 

His muscles ache from the vigourous workout he just endured, and Gabriel decides he could use with a bit more of a stretch. This is, in fact, the only thing influencing his decision and no other factors cause him to do so. 

Anyways, he decides to stretch his legs, and the tension in the room suddenly increases tenfold. After having bent over to stretch his calves, Gabriel resurfaces. With a bit of surprise, he sees that Jack is a mess on the other side of the room. His cheeks are bright red and he’s staring without the slightest bit of subtlety. The man is obviously flustered beyond belief.

Gabe decides to take a chance. He makes eye contact, and winks.

If one were to listen quite carefully, the internal screams of a mortified fully-grown man could faintly be heard echoing around the chambers of his very own mind.  

He shucks off his own shirt, hiding his wicked grin behind it. Years of pining, and now he knows that Jack isn’t straight because of his own hobby of being a big gay peacock. It’s almost too good. 

He can still see Jack’s crisis as it continues on its frightful course, and decides to give the man some relief. If Jack’s been waiting as long as Gabriel has, then relief is long overdue. 

Gabriel crosses the room in two swift movements, making eye contact with Jack. The man stares at him, flushed and embarrassed, but confusion and hope start to take over and clear his blush. Jack breaks eye contact for a moment, looking down and scratching the back of his neck. “I - uh,” He starts, voice catching, and Gabe continues to stare at him. For some reason it isn’t as funny as it was a moment ago, it’s not as amusing. It’s for real, now. 

Jack looks up again to meet Gabriel’s eyes. The two are just a couple centimeters apart, still and with nothing between them - space, clothes, lies. There’s a moment of complete silence, absolute stillness and then they both move to kiss each other and  _ shit. _

There’s no desperation, no haste or speed, nothing. There’s just  _ heat -  _ burning them alive in the moment, drawing them together like two stars in a mesmerizing and almost gradual explosion of light and energy. They move together and against each other, arms moving and mouths opening, fingers running down chests and hands through hair. It’s like they’ve kissed a thousand times before and it’s old, older than they both know or are or understand.

They move backwards, towards the bed,  _ towards the bed,  _ and then they’re falling back and -

* * *

 

Gabriel smooths a hand through Jack’s hair. The aforementioned Jack is currently laying sprawled on top of him, arms wrapped around Gabriel’s waist and head laying on Gabriel’s abdomen. The afterglow is a serene one, and it’s all quiet in their room (a nice juxtaposition from only a few minutes ago). 

Gabe likes the way Jack’s paler skin looks against his dark tones. He likes the way Jack’s lips taste against his own and the way Jack’s hands feel on his chest. He likes the way Jack trembles when he kisses him and he likes the way Jack does everything. He likes Jack. A whole lot. 

Jack moves his head so that his chin is propped up on Gabriel’s stomach and they look at each other. Jack’s eyes are tired and so is his well-used voice. “Gabe?”

“Yeah?” Gabe rumbles, putting his hand through Jack’s hair again. Jack smiles gently at this. 

“Do you-” Jack stops. “I -”

“C’mon, white boy. Spit it out already,” Gabe says, smirk curling around the edges of your words. 

He looks at Gabe with faux aggravation and starts again. “Can we - not pretend that this was nothing?”

Gabe frowns and props himself up with his available arm. “What do you mean?”

Jack sighs. “I don’t wanna do the thing where we - we dance around each other for a couple days, pretend that we’re straight -” Gabe holds back a snort - “And then act like nothing happened, like this doesn’t change things at all, and then go back to years of sexual and romantic tension.” 

Gabe smiles. “Well,  _ cariño,  _ lucky for you I know I’m not straight and I’m never gonna go back to pretending that. And, to be honest, we’ve really worn down the sexual tension. Like, there’s no sexual tension trope we haven’t used already. Such as ogling the other’s ass when we think they don’t notice,” Gabe looks at Jack, pretending to be peeved. Jack blushes a little. 

Gabriel continues. “I want this to mean something. It means something to me.” Putting that out in the open, Gabriel feels exposed. “Does it mean something to you?” 

Jack closes his eyes. “It means -  _ everything.”  _

Gabriel strokes his fingers through Jack’s hair again. “Then we’ll be everything.” 

Jack opens his eyes, and then moves up so that his face is right over Gabriel’s. “And - and if everything includes me loving you?” 

Gabriel smiles. “Then we’ll be everything. Because I love you too.” 

They kiss, and it’s all for real. 

  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. The Third; The Only

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> agh this took forever and im not totally happy with how it came out but here you go kids i hope you like it 
> 
> Vibe Song: Dirty Paws by Of Monsters And Men

“What do you  _ mean,  _ I can’t visit my  _ family?! _ ”

“Please, Mr. Reyes, we can’t trust that Overwatch or the Soldier Enhancement Project won’t be brought up -” 

 “If you can’t trust me, then why are you hiring me, anyways -” 

 “Mr. Reyes, it is a potential security breach! We cannot allow -”

 “You think sending me off somewhere and forbidding me to talk to my family is _really_ going to make me want to choose Overwatch -” 

 “If you continue with this insolence, you may not even have a choice, Mr. Reyes -”

 “ _What?!_ ”

 “ _Go on vacation_ , Mr. Reyes. Take Mr. Morrison, or don’t - we don’t care, as long as no families or friends are visited _or_ contacted. Use your time to decide if you want to join Overwatch, or choose to waste two years of enhancement as just another soldier to be mowed down. You have a significant amount of money waiting in your bank account just from surviving the SEP - use it, Mr. Reyes, because in due time you may not be in a fit state to do so.” 

 Gabriel glares at the man sitting across from him. “And if I don’t want to go on a goddamn vacation _without_ my family while honorable men are dying in my place?” 

 He levels Gabe with a glare equal to the intensity of his own, if not greater. “It is not a request, Mr. Reyes. Go and decide if you want to live and save the world, or become a martyr nobody will be alive to remember.”  

Gabriel narrows his eyes and stands up. “Fine,” He growls reluctantly. “I’m going on a week’s vacation with Jack. When we come back, we’ll report to you with our decisions.” 

The man nods. “Very well. A dropship will come for you tomorrow morning at 7 o’clock. I suggest you pick a destination and pack, Mr. Reyes. I sincerely doubt that anywhere is out of your price range, or will be unwilling to book you - here is your bank account information.” He hands an envelope across the table to Gabriel, who stares at it a moment before taking it and widening his eyes at the honestly incredible numbers on the paper. 

Gabriel nods, and then salutes the man. He goes to find Jack, to pack, and to find the nicest place he possibly can in the time he’s given. Money isn’t a problem.

* * *

 

Jack looks at him from the seat over. “Gabe, where are we going?” 

 Gabriel turns to him. “I already said, Jackie, pack for warm weather. That’s all you need to know.”

 Jack frowns. “It’s my first vacation, I wanna know where we’re going!” 

 Gabriel smirks and looks away. “You’ll know when we get there, Jack. It’s a surprise.” 

 Jack huffs and puts his head back on the seat, turning away as well. “Fine.” 

 Gabe takes pity on him and reaches over, pulling up the tiny window on the plane in case there’s something to see. And, _god,_ there is. “Look, Jack.” He points out, and Jack, closer to the dinky window, peers out. Gabriel can see his eyes widen in the weak reflection and smiles at this. 

The sun is rising over a thick cloud blanket, bathing the view around them in a soft butter yellow. There’s only the pale sky and the white puffy clouds in sight, and it’s breathtaking. Jack breathes out a ‘wow’ and puts his hand up to the view, as if he could scoop the sun from where it rises and hold it in his fingers - or take a whiff of a cloud and wrap it around himself, covered in wonder and softness. 

Jack turns around for a moment and meets Gabriel’s eyes. “Gabi,” He breathes, and then turns back to stare at the scene more. 

Gabriel is so fucked. 

He lays a hand on Jack’s shoulder and leans over so he can see better, because Jack’s whole giant figure is in the way. The man’s really grown in muscle mass during their stay at the SEP, and Gabe can’t deny that he enjoys it. A whole lot. 

Everyone in the plane is asleep, except for them. The grey and shadowy interior of the plane is lightened by weak, new light shining through their little window to the outside. Gabriel imagines that he would be bothering someone else with their open window, but everyone in the first class is wearing their complementary eye masks. He couldn’t give less of a fuck about them. As long as they’re left alone by these prissy rich assholes (Gabriel can’t believe he’s one of them now), he’s happy. 

 He wants to share this moment with Jack alone. And he knows where they’re going, they can hopefully share as many more as possible in the short time they’ve got. Who knows what the future could hold for them, who knows if this is the last bit of rest they’ll ever get for the next several years. 

They’re alone in the sky together, surrounded by the air and the dawn. It’s a simple and breathtaking moment. 

Gabriel watches Jack, watches the sun rise. The two are mesmerizing. 

* * *

 They depart from the plane a few hours later, and Jack stares at the signs in the airport. “St. Lucia…” He murmurs. “I’ve never heard of it.” 

Gabriel shrugs. “Me neither. But it’s a nice place in the Caribbean - a  _ really  _ nice place, actually. Found it last night. But where we’re going on the island - even nicer. You’ll love it, Jackie.” Gabriel smiles, happy, and nudges Jack with his shoulder, who smiles back at him. 

“Still won’t tell me exactly what we’re doing?” Jack says, looking up at him. 

Gabriel shakes his head. “It’s a surprise. And you’re going to have to wait a little while to find out - I was in a rush to book a plane ride, so our hotel is basically on the other side of the island. It’ll be a long drive.” 

 Jack sighs dramatically. “Ugh, Gabe, I can’t believe you! Taking me on my first vacation, bringing me to a mystery island, paying for my plane tickets, and now a long car drive? You’re so awful to me.” Gabe laughs, and feels a tug on his heart at Jack’s prodding. 

“Come on, I think our driver’s over there.” Gabriel grabs Jack’s free hand and pulls him along, trying valiantly to not think about the feel of Jack’s calloused hand in his. Their driver is indeed over there, with a very nice car. Jack gapes at him. 

“This car? It’s gotta be worth more than my childhood home, Gabe. You’re kidding, right?” 

Gabriel shakes his head, and the driver goes to open the trunk. They dump their two bags in, and then go to get in the backseat together. “Thanks for taking my appointment at such short notice. I know you must be a very busy man, Mr. Morales.” He says to the driver. 

Morales, getting in the front seat, turns to look at him. “At this price, how could I refuse? Mr. Reyes, you are my dream customer! Now, please, sit back, relax. I understand the two of you just got off a very early plane. I promise not to bother you two with all my chattering. Wouldn’t be very nice of me to disturb the young couple, now would it?” 

 Gabriel blushes. “I - well, thank you, but-” 

Jack laughs next to him, and then speaks over Gabriel. “Thank you, sir. I think I’m about to get right on that sleeping, if you don’t mind.” 

Morales waves a hand and turns back to the front, starting the car. “Not at all, Mr. Morrison.” 

Gabriel stares straight ahead for a few moments, taking a moment to process this sudden label of ‘couple’, and then Jack’s unexpected acceptance of it. He decides to shove it to the back of his mind for another time when he can freak out about how in love he is with Jack. 

Morales turns on a quiet radio station and Gabriel looks out the window to his left. He’s greeted with the view of palm trees, beaches, and small towns. He smiles. It’s nice to be somewhere new, somewhere unharmed by Omnics because it’s just so small and isolated - somewhere that isn’t a war zone and he can feel halfway normal. 

He freezes for a moment when he hears Jack shift over, and then feels a head lay on his shoulder. The very top of Jack’s head grazes his neck. There’s a few moments of extreme panic in his head (during which everything is on fire and all his brain cells sort of just  **die** ) before he forcibly relaxes. There’s a couple more seconds of pandemonium.  _ Ah, fuck it,  _ he thinks, and lays his head on top of Jack’s. 

Jack’s head is at exactly the right angle for him to rest his own on, and he feels increasingly comfortable. After a couple seconds, the weight of a sleepless plane ride descends on him and he drifts off pressed close to Jack. 

* * *

 It’s hours later that Gabriel finally wakes up. He asks Morales how long they’ve been out.

“About four hours, Mr. Reyes. Seeing as you landed at 9:30, and we got in the car at 10:30, you’ll arrive at the hotel at about 16:45, perhaps a bit less. Would you like to stop off for lunch? It will be a while until your arrival.” Gabe deliberates a bit, and then gently nudges Jack, who is still asleep on his shoulder. 

Jack groans a bit in his sleep, and then wakes, rubbing his neck and yawning. “What’s going on?”

Gabriel looks at him. “It’s 14:30. D’you wanna stop off for lunch? It’ll be another two hours until we get to the hotel.” 

Jack sighs. “Sure. Haven’t eaten in ages.” 

They stop a couple of minutes later in a small fishing town. People mill all about them, and Gabriel watches Jack as he walks and marvels over the ocean, which is barely meters away from them. Jack has spent so little time in exotic and new places, and everything is amazing to him. The only places he’s spent time in is Indiana and the SEP facility, and basically nowhere else. Gabe fights the urge to take his hand and walk alongside him, smiling at Jack’s wonder for the world around them. 

Morales brings them to a small restaurant, and goes and talks with the owner in the back for a while to let Jack and Gabe eat. The food is good, although a bit spicy for Jack’s simple tastes. It’s an absolute spectacle to see Jack take a bite of chicken. He’s fine for a moment, chewing, and then his eyes widen dramatically. He drops his fork and claps his hands to his mouth, eyes watering. He swallows the chicken as soon as possible and drinks his whole glass of water in an instant. Upon seeing this, Gabriel is laughing hysterically, almost choking on his food while Jack suffers. 

 Jack pins him with an accusing glare, but it would be significantly more intimidating if he could stop choking. “Gabe - please - I’m dying -” 

Gabriel lets out another raucous laugh at this. “Oh, me too,  _ cariño,  _ me too.” He says, rubbing a hand on his face and still rumbling with laughs. He only realizes the fact that he just called Jack darling in Spanish a moment later, and then he  _ really  _ starts dying. His saving grace is Jack’s Indiana-raised ignorance, which prevents Jack from things like eating chicken that isn’t tasteless and understanding Spanish endearments. He lets out a sigh of relief, which hopefully comes across as cooling down from the laughs to Jack, and decides to move on

But Jesus  _ Christ,  _ if he can’t contain himself from calling Jack very non-platonic names when he’s choking on a piece of spicy chicken, then what’s he going to do when Jack is lounging around in only a bathing suit? 

Gabriel Reyes is irrevocably, inescapably, inevitably  _ fucked. _

* * *

 

They get back in the car a while later and drive, making small talk with each other and Morales. The scenery, though mostly trees and small towns, is still beautiful and new and so  _ different  _ from the cold sterile hallways they’ve lived in for the past two years. 

Jack takes a break from staring out the window for a second before turning to Morales. “How long until we’re there?”  

Morales replies. “Perhaps half an hour, maybe a bit more. You should arrive at 18:00, get checked in at around 18:30, and by the time you get settled in your I suppose it will be 19:00. I can recommend some places to have dinner as well, if you would like to stop before the hotel.” 

Gabe smiles. “What would we do without you, Morales?” 

Morales grins as well. “Let’s not dwell on that, yes?" 

Jack laughs, and turns back to look outside. The evening is beginning, made apparent by shafts of golden light streaming down around them. It’s like something out of a story book - lush trees, winding roads, endless hills and mountains, bright light and the feel of a retiring day all about them. 

Jack has that look in his eye again, Gabriel can see. There are few things Gabriel loves more than that amazed stare, as if nothing has ever been as beautiful. He suddenly makes it his mission to keep that look on Jack’s face permanently - to keep him awed and amazed, to keep him happy.

Dinner is as nice as lunch was, although there is a significant lack of choking and dying this time around. The restaurant is only a minute or two away from their hotel, and instead of getting back in the car Gabe and Jack grab their bags and say goodbye to Morales. They leave him a generous tip, and then begin the short walk to their lobby. 

Jack turns to Gabe. “If everyone here is as nice as Morales is, we’re retiring here.” Gabe laughs, and then something in him catches at the word ‘we’. Jack, imagining them a future together - where they both survive and live together -  _ together.  _ Gabe can feel his mood somehow lift even higher, and he smiles brightly. 

“Yeah?” Gabe says.

“Yeah,” Jack breathes, looking him in the eyes, and in this moment Gabriel is gayer than he has ever been (which is really saying something). 

They find themselves in the lobby before they know it, and Jack looks around a while. Gabe leaves the bags with him and goes up to the front desk. “Gabriel Reyes and Jack Morrison. I believe we booked the third bungalow?” 

The woman at the front desk smiles. “Yes, of course, Mr. Reyes. Here’s the key - take a turn to the left and walk down until the third path splits, and there you can find your bungalow. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask.” 

Gabe takes the key. “Thank you.” He walks to Jack and grabs his suitcase. “Let’s go!”

Jack smiles. “Am I finally getting to see our mysterious hotel room?” 

Gabe smirks. “Yes. Although I don’t think our room is the most interesting part of our place, here.” They walk down the path, and turn onto the path for their bungalow. 

Jack seems confused. “What do you mean?” 

And then Gabe throws open the door to their bungalow, and it soon becomes apparent. 

Jack walks inside, gaping. The bungalow is open to show a spectacular sunset over their own private beach. 

Jack drops his suitcase, and it clatters to the ground. He stands, frozen, for seconds before running outside, sprinting until he reaches the very end of the beach and stands just before the water. 

Gabriel is surprised for a moment, and then goes chasing after him. He reaches Jack’s side, who stands there, completely still and mouth wide open. “Our own private beach,” He says without response, and then: “Jackie? You in there?” He inquires, waving a hand in front of Jack’s face. 

Jack blinks and starts, and then replies. “Yeah, it’s just - I - this is the first time I’ve ever  _ seen  _ the ocean.” 

Gabe looks out over it. The sun is setting in a blaze of gold, orange, and red, tinting the ocean a beautiful warm color as it ripples and waves. Deep, royal purple seeps into the sky above, slowly turning it into what will be a magnificent midnight blue. It’s almost a rainbow. He turns to Jack. “Let’s go in.” 

Jack looks at him with wide eyes. “Huh?” 

Gabe smiles. “You ever learn to swim?” 

Jack shakes his head. “Believe it or not, there aren’t a whole lot of places to swim in the Indiana countryside.” Gabe shrugs. 

“I’ll teach you.” He says, and shucks his shirt off. His pants, which he usually wears in the gym, are fit to swim in. 

Jack does the same, and before long Gabe is wading into the ocean, warm water lapping at his heels. Jack stays on the shore. “Come on,” Gabe says, reaching out his arms. “It’s warm. And the waves aren’t rough or anything.” Jack looks at him skeptically, and then places one foot in the water. 

Jack smiles and wiggles his toes, the feeling of water flowing over them new and a bit exciting. He chuckles, and then puts in his other foot. He stands for a moment, and then wades out to where Gabriel is, now knee deep with waves breaking close to them. Jack takes Gabriel’s extended hand, and then they burst through the breaking waves to the other side. 

The water is waist high, and then up to their chests. Gabe kicks off and starts swimming. “Just start kicking,” He says to Jack, “And relax into it. Swimming isn’t particularly difficult to learn - not in this water.” It’s relatively calm, with waves bouncing up and down at a leisurely pace. 

Jack cautiously starts kicking, and he looks to Gabe, who smiles in confirmation. When he’s sure Jack has it, Gabe lets go of his hand, although not without reluctance. He then swims a few feet away and beckons to Jack, who soon follows. “You’re a natural,” Gabe says, and Jack smiles brighter than their setting sun.

 Then, Jack splashes him with ocean water, and it’s a war. 

They spend the fading hour in the water, splashing and swimming and laughing, basking in the glorious sunlight and forgetting about their last poisonous years, their war torn years to come, their bloodied and burned world that still needs saving. Stars begin to appear in the sky, but the water is painted an even brighter golden as the sun approaches the horizon. It’s a perfect bookend to their soft, hopeful sunrise in the morning. 

They stop when the sun finally sinks below the horizon, and simply watch as the last sliver of light disappears beneath the earth. They drag themselves out of the water when the last colors go as well, and the sky's a deep, dark blue dotted with stars and constellations. 

Gabe grabs a towel and wraps it around himself, drying himself off and then grabbing some sweatpants from his suitcase. He goes and sits on the porch while drying off his hair, and soon enough, Jack joins him. They share a lounge chair and sit close together, looking up at the stars. 

 “Do you think it’s possible to see as many beautiful things in a day as we actually did?” Jack breathes, head craned up.

“I guess it has to be, because we did it.” Gabe whispers back. 

There’s silence for a while, and then: “It’s just like in Indiana.” 

“We never had anything like this in L.A." 

Jack turns to look at him at this. “Then I guess we both got something new today.” 

Gabe smiles at him. “Yeah, Sunshine. Guess we did.” 

* * *

 

The week is like all warm colors: it feels like a treasure, precious and new, beautiful and just right. They spend every day swimming, reading by the beach, joking around, eating new foods, watching the sunsets and the stars, simply enjoying each other’s company. 

It passes all too quickly - he savors every fleeting moment and knows to treasure it forever. Like when he and Jack sit for hours on the beach on Tuesday, just reading, and then swapping books once they’re done with them. Like when Jack surprises him by building a sand castle right on his chest while he’s asleep, and he wakes up to a three-foot pile of sand and a giggly mess. Like when they go out for dinner and drink wine and play footsie underneath the table while trying not to humiliate themselves in front of the high-brow rich-ass white-as-all-hell tourists they’re dining with. Like when they lay awake in front of all the stars and talk about the world until there’s nothing left to talk about. 

Gabe’s heart burns golden, and he stares at the man with a sunset in his hair and an ocean in his eyes and knows that the rest of his life is meant to be  _ this  _ \- new, in love, beautiful, awe-inspiring, euphoric. That he can have this, he just needs to fight through a war to have it. 

He knows deep down that he has to live to the other side to have these days, that he can’t join a meaningless fight, that he has to take responsibility and join Overwatch. But he shoves these thoughts down and enjoys this time he has now.

They speak of their decision every once in a while. He prefers to pretend that they live in a peaceful world and don’t have to return to the real one any time soon. 

But they do, and Gabriel knows that before they go he has to tell Jack what he feels. Before he has no more time and chances left. 

It’s their last night when he musters up the courage to do it. The sunset this time is lavender and soft yellow, all light hues and pastels. He knows the pinks will fade to reds soon enough, though. 

They’re sitting in the sand, quietly watching the sun descend from its place up high. They’ve got a while to go until it’s gone, but missing a single second when they have so few left is unacceptable. Gabe switches between watching the sunset and watching Jack, whose smile is soft and content, and whose eyes retain that wonder that he’ll never let the world take away. 

“I-” He starts, and Jack looks towards him expectantly. He begins anew. “Jack, I-” He stops, and figures that for something this important maybe he should have thought through what to say. “I have something that I… want to tell you.”

Jack cocks his head to the left, and golden light washes over his features. “What?”

Gabriel swallows for a moment, and looks back at the sunset for a moment. He casts his gaze to the sea, and then to his hands that are clenched tightly in his lap. He pulls it together enough to look Jack in the eyes again, and says the three words that mean everything, more than this sunset, than this life, than this world. 

“I love you.” 

And there is no god and no otherworldly being that could have given him enough strength or courage to stand to see the wonder in Jack’s gaze finally, finally turned on him. 

This moment seems slow, frozen in time. The sleepy sun is frozen in its path downwards, and every ray of colorful light is preserved. The world stops spinning, leaving everything in perfect stillness and peace, just to hear Jack say: 

“I love you too.” 

It’s so simple, somehow, so easy in retrospect, as easy to understand as the setting of the sun. Gabriel reaches out for Jack; cups his cheek, relishes in the awe that Jack watches him with. “Can I…” Gabriel says, voice quiet and rough, and all it takes is one nod for their lips to meet. 

Gabriel’s fingers lace through Jack’s hair, and he shifts over so he can be closer. Jack hums into their kiss and puts his hands around Gabe’s neck, and there’s something warm in Jack’s chest that feels like champagne bubbling, that feels like the burning of whiskey, the slow and joyous drip of beer over the rim of the mug, and _god_ Jack’s touch makes him feel drunk, he’s so far away from sober he could be on a different planet, and everything is golden and the sun is setting in his heart. 

Jack leans back, going into the sand, but his hands remain around Gabe’s shoulders and he pulls them down together. Gabe smiles against Jack’s lips, kissing more fervently. Jack relinquishes one hand from where it’s wrapped behind Gabe’s neck and moves, reaching back to where Gabe’s fingers are in his hair. He hooks his pinky around Gabe’s own and shifts, moving until their hands are entwined and laying at their sides. Jack’s other hand goes up into Gabe’s curls, holding onto them and pulling him closer.  

Gabriel moves until he’s mostly on top of Jack and gives his hand a squeeze. They kiss a while longer until Jack starts talking between the fervent press of lips. “Gabe - we’re - gonna - miss the - sunset,” He says breathlessly.  

Gabe kisses him one more time, and then pulls away. Jack’s cheeks are flushed, his lips are swollen, and he’s still looking at him that way. He smiles, and breathes, “Do you want to go out onto the ocean -” he presses a quick kiss against Jack’s neck - “for our last one?” 

 Jack hums in assent, and they both stand, briefly parting their hands in order to shed their shirts. The sun is lower over the horizon now, and the pastel colors having brightened into vibrant reds, purples, oranges, and golds. They walk through the waves together until they’re chest-deep in the water.  

Everything around them is peaceful, waves crashing distantly in the background. Gabe puts an arm around Jack’s shoulder and smiles as he leans into him. They stand and watch as their sun sets for the final time, something in them being fixed while another is broken. 

While watching the sunset, Gabe moves and plants a soft kiss on the top of Jack’s head. “I love you. You’re beautiful,” He mutters against Jack’s golden hair.

Jack smiles and puts his arm around Gabriel’s waist. “Love you too.” He sighs. “I wish we could stay here forever.” 

 Gabe closes his eyes briefly. He starts circling his thumb on Jack’s shoulder. “We’ve got to save the world first, don’t we?” 

Jack hums. “Yeah.” There’s silence, and then: “We’re joining Overwatch, aren’t we?”

“If it means at the end of all this we can retire and live like this every day? Yes. I’d do anything.” 

The suns touches the horizon, brushing against it. “Me too,” Jack says. 

They watch in silence as the sun dips below the horizon, and finally disappears. They’ve watched this, every day in the last week, and the sun does rise and set perpetually, without end. And somehow, it feels like a finale - like they can never see this again. So they savor their last moment, their last peaceful seconds together, and hope they can fit bits and pieces in between. 

They don’t know if they can ever have this again. They’re chancing their happy ending, joining Overwatch. But it’s all they can do, and if it means they may be together in the end, they’ll sure as hell take it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ugh this is cute but im mad at myself for not making it like i had imagined


End file.
